UNLV beats Air Force with 74-63 win

The conference games come and go so quickly. There’s barely time to catch your breath and reflect because the next game is a couple of days away and it’s time to prepare again.

So as UNLV heads into the second half of Mountain West play at 4-5 — and with a week off — it does so with the knowledge it still has room to grow but is finding ways to win.

A 74-63 victory over Air Force on Saturday night before 13,137 at the Thomas & Mack Center was another illustration of how coach Dave Rice’s new players are starting to figure things out. They played zone defense virtually the entire 40 minutes, forced 15 turnovers while committing just five and had five players in double figures in winning their third straight and improving to 13-9.

“We continue to get better,” Rice said. “Whenever you play Air Force, you know it’s going to be a battle because they shoot the ball so well and they’re so disciplined. We preached the importance of taking care of the ball, and for our guys to have 16 assists and just five turnovers is why we were able to win this game.”

With its collection of athletes, UNLV is not a zone team per se. But athleticism can be a big plus when you’re trying to cover the court and close out on shooters. And while the Rebels had their lapses at times when they didn’t get out, they did enough things right in their 2-3 and 1-3-1 looks to disrupt the Falcons.

“We’re doing a better job of staying mentally focused,” said freshman guard Patrick McCaw, who had 11 points, six assists and just one turnover in 35 minutes. “I think the zone is better now than it was a few weeks ago against New Mexico. Guys know how to react better, and they understand where the gaps are and how to cover the space.”

The other attribute UNLV displayed was patience on offense. That wasn’t the case early on, as the Rebels were jacking up 3-pointers and unwilling to make the extra pass to get a better look or get inside and get to the rim.

But Jelan Kendrick solved that problem. The senior guard came off the bench and took control, making smart passes and attacking the rim while getting his teammates the ball where they could produce something positive from the possession.

Kendrick finished with 15 points, five assists, five rebounds, two steals and no turnovers in 29 minutes.

“I thought it was J.K.’s most complete game,” Rice said. “He was outstanding and showed great leadership.”

Kendrick wasn’t made available to the media after the game, but his play spoke volumes. He gave the Rebels a 20-15 edge in bench scoring and helped Chris Wood wind up with a productive night.

The sophomore forward had a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rashad Vaughn and Cody Doolin scored 11 apiece.

The Falcons, who were without leading scorer Max Yon, who has been away from the team for the past couple of weeks for personal reasons, still made a game of it because Justin Hammonds worked effectively inside against UNLV’s zone and finished with 15 points.

Marek Olesinski hit three 3-pointers and scored 11, and Matt Mooney, who was coming off a career-high 20 points Wednesday against San Jose State, finished with 10.

But the Falcons got hit with short bursts by UNLV late in the first half and early in the second.

The first spurt was 6-0 over the final 2:41 of the first half, as Dantley Walker came off the bench for the Rebels and hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left to extend the lead to 29-24.

The other spurt came over a 1:56 span early in the second half, as the Rebels used a 9-2 run to lead 38-28. UNLV led by as many as 12, 58-46, with 7:36 to play.

“I thought Dantley gave us a huge momentum boost,” Rice said. “That 3 just before halftime was big.”

Walker, a freshman guard from Panaca who averages just 6.4 minutes and 2.5 points, said coming off the bench is a role he’s comfortable with.

“I’m just trying to bring some energy and help the team,” he said. “I just try to take advantage of any opportunity Coach gives me.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.